Playing device for guitars and similar instruments



you. 1'6, 192s. l 1,687,849

T. SCHMIDT PLAYING DEVICE FOR GUITARS AND SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS F' d Jan. 8, 1926 Oct. 1.6, 192s. 1,687,849

. T. SCHMIDT PLAYING DEVICE FOR GUITARS AND SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS Filed Jan. e, 192s 2 sheets-sheet 2 vward pressure exerted upon Patented Oct. 16, 1928.

UNITED STATES; Amirror.,y

'rnnonon SCHMIDT, or* Bantam Grignani PLAYING Dinner.I ron GUITARS un stimmen rNsfrRUMnNrs.

. Application led January 8, 1926,A Serial; No".` 80,061', d in Germany Octobe'rf l, 1925,.

In chord playing devices for string instruments, especially in guitars,l the use of longitudinally slidable rods for `moving downwardl the string pressing levers has not proven satisfactory, as the rods were easily bent a-nd thel playing became unsatisfactory;

.The invention is characterized by arranging the` whole device vertically movable, so thatthe pressure from the. fingers is transmitted to the playing strings,- whereas` the governing device has only to. perform a preparatory movement ofthe stringpressing levers into their operative positions without transmitting the pressing force.-

The invention relates: further to details which are later described'.

In the drawing the invention is shown in two samples; 4

Fig. 1 is a simplified longitudinal section of one embodiment,

Fig. 2 is an upper view broken away,

Fig. 3 is cross section,

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view,l and Figs'. 5 to 7. are views, corresponding to Figs.` 1 to 3, of a second embodiment.l

According to Figs. 1-4, two supports 1 fastened to the neck of the guitar,'hold a framelike sheet metal casing 3 by aid of links 2 which form a parallelogram.y Inside said casing A3on supporting cross bolts ll, six pushing rods, corresponding to the six strings are arranged longitudinally slidable. The said rods are provided on their bottom edges with teeth 6. n axles 7, the distances of which correspond to the frets of the guitar, string pressing levers 8, three in the shown sample, are arranged so as to be in engagement with the teeth 6 each by a toothed part 9. The distances of the teeth groups 6 are such, that at a movement of the rod according to the arrow the left hand lever 3 is moved `[irst to a vertical position, then the next, and at last the right hand lever. Simultaneously only one each rod is in vertical posit-ion. A downthe whole device serves for pressing the vertical levers onto the strings.

The casing is covered by a cover 10 arranged on itslidably in the direction ofthe arrow. rIhis cover carries grippers 12 which rotate about pins 11 and have hook shaped parts opposed to cuts 13 of the rods 6, and held out of engagement by springs 14- formed integrally with them.l On the thereof, k'partly lever of cover 10),k a. shaft 15 is. arranged longitudimalty and; linger levers. 161. and 17 are arrangedonthis shaft so as to touch projections 13 ofthe grippers 12 and press the lat-'- ter downward, when being swung by: a finger of thehan'd. f The grippers 12 are slidably arranged on their pins 11, and each rod '6 has two; rows of teeth 13?, 13'b arranged be-` side each other, so, that the gripper 12, presses the fingery lever 16 against it and against the projection 18, grips the teeth 13?), j i

and, by the finger lever 17," grips the teeth 13a. Thereby each gripper can be used to play two different chords The distances between the teeth 13, and 13b respectiiely are of; such different. length, that in accordance with the requirementsfor the different chords the different rods are gripped partlyfat once, partly onlyl after the gripper has been mowed lengthwise together with the cover`10,` over ya certain ,distancaV so that the respectiverodsv are driven length# wise only for one-thirdor; for two-thdsof thek whole way, and thus bring the ldifferent i string pressing levers 8 intorthef vertical poe sition. After the cover 10 has completed its whole way, thefpressu-re exerted onto the finger lever 16er 17 causesthe" whole device to swingufdownward around its links 2 and press the l` vers. 8 against the strings, so'that tfhevsecond` handof the user can play the full chord on allv strings. After the first 'hand has released the pressure onto the fin- 17, the device is raised to its ger lever 16 or rest position by springs 19.

In the second constructional form, shown in 5 to 7, thevdevice is held on a wire support 20, which is mounted on the guitar neck by aid of feet 21 and screws 22 united by a leather strip 23, which surroundsthe neck. The frame 24 of the device is fastened to an outer tube frame 25, which with its flattened ends 26 is bent round the support so'as to allow the whole device to be tilted up and down round the links 26. A spring wire 27 fastened to the support 2O and press ing against the tube serves for raising the device.

In the frame 24, rods 2S are longitudinallyy slidable on cross pins 29, and projections 30 and 31 are arranged on said rods so as to be opposed to the shafts 32 of string pressing levers 33. Each ofk these levers 33 is slotted so as to receive three of the said rods 28, and cross pins 34 and 35 are fastened in said levers 33 in such way, that each longitudinal movement of one of the rods Q8 to either side swings the lever 38 into a vertical position. Springs 36are wound around the shafts 32 and rest with their ends on the cross pins 29 and on the levers 33 respectively holding the latter in the shown inclined posftions. Each of the three rods 28 oi one group has the projections 30 and 31 only on one o'f the three appertaining levers 33, so that for instance the first rod serves to move the utmost left lever 83, the second rod the middle lever 33, and the third rod the utmost right lever 33.

Projections 37 are edges of the rods 28, jections cross provided on the top and above said propins 88 are mounted in the frame 24. On these cross pins 38, root shaped grippers 39 are held swingably, and leaf springs 4f() serve to hold the latter in the shown middle positions. The grippers 39 are adapted to grip the projections 37 and move the rods 28 to the one or-the other side when swung out by a linger of the hand to the one or the other side. The projections 37 are provided only on the spots of these rods 28 where they are necessary for the desired chords, so that each gripper moves only those rods and string pressing levers which are needed for the desired chord. One chord can be produced by swinging the gripper to the one side and another chord by swinging it to the other side.

rlhe cover 41 et' the device has an opening 42 tor making the grippers 39 readily accessible for the lingers of the hand. A hand rest 43 is fastened to the device so as to give the possibility of pressing the Whole device downward with more fingers and exert a correspondingly increased pressure on the strings by the levers 33, after one finger has tilted one ot' the grippers and moved the corresponding levers sition.

I claim:

l. A playing device for guitars and similar instruments, comprising in combination string pressing levers, means for swinging said levers into vertical positions, a support holding' the whole device vertically movable on thc neck of the instrument, and means for pressing the device downward so as to touch the strings by the vertically positioned string pressing levers.

2. A playing' device for guitars and similar instruments, comprising in combination string pressing levers, longitudinally slidable rods above said levers and adapted to swing said levers into vertical positions, projections on the top edges of sar? d rods, grippcrs arranged crosswise to said rods above said projections so as to engage them and longitudinally drive said rods, and means for pressing the device downward so as to touch the strings by the vertically positioned string pressing levers.

3. A playing' device for guitars and similar instruments, comprising in combination cross shafts, string pressing levers arranged on said cross shafts, a cross part on each of said levers above and one below said shafts, rods arranged above said levers so as to be longitudinally slidable against both longitudfnal directions, downwardly directed proiections on said rods so as to be in engagement with said cross parts respectively, movable grippers for longitudinally driving said rods tobotli directions and means for press- .ing the device downward so as to touch the strings by the vertically positioned string pressing levers.

In witness whereof I aliix my signature.

TI-IEODOR SCHMIDT.

33 into a vertical po- 

